Children's home run by CF Support Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2575713 1 Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately operated. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

There are two children living at the home. Both were seen and spoken to during this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2575713 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/04/2024 Full Good 15/08/2023 Full Good 13/09/2022 Full Good 07/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2575713 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with the children in their care. Children respond to the consistent approach from the whole team. Clearly written care plans and risk assessment ensure that staff have a good understanding of the children and their individual needs, and children are well cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points. Managers and staff help children to reduce their risks, improve their health, and prepare for independence, with the support of committed and well-trained staff. Additionally, children return to the care of their family, move to foster placements or other homes nearer to family and school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school and training courses that meet their needs. When children do not have any education arranged, staff use a range of resources to reduce the risk of children falling behind. Managers challenge the virtual school to provide education support or tutoring when there are delays or difficulties in securing an appropriate provision for a child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When a child moves to the home, the manager completes a detailed assessment of their needs, their compatibility with the child already in residence, and the effect the children may have on one another. The manager will not agree to a child moving into the home if they are not confident in staff’s ability to help children live together safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand that when children first move in, they may find the location of the home and distance from their friends an issue. They support children to spend time with friends where this is safe and practical, to help them remain connected. Furthermore, staff help children to participate in fun activities, including go-karting and horse riding. Where appropriate, the children have regular, meaningful time with their family, friends, and former carers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents’ and children’s advocates are positive about the care provided by staff and praise the relationships that they build with children’s families. Parents report regular communication and support from the managers and staff at the home. When children return to parents’ care or move into supported accommodation, staff stay in touch with them and their family to provide support if needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to access specialist services when there are concerns about children’s well-being, such as child exploitation, going missing from home and health concerns. When there are delays in accessing support, staff research what they can do in the interim, for example using health resources to support one child to start their healthy eating and exercise plan gradually while awaiting an appointment to see a specialist. Inspection report for children’s home: 2575713 4 The home is warm and nicely furnished. The children have large bright bedrooms that they personalise to their taste. The summer house provides additional space for private chats and therapeutic work. Some signage in the kitchen, toilets, bathroom and on the patio, doors detracts from the homeliness.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children feel safe in the home, and their risks reduce because of the support provided by trusted staff. The manager ensures that all children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans are reviewed and updated in response to changes in the children’s needs. When incidents occur, the manager speaks with the staff and children involved, lessons are learned and the manager shares them with the team.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff maintain individualised missing-from-home protocols for all children. These include information from the police that helps to locate children with their assistance when there increased concerns about child exploitation. Staff work effectively to return children home safely when they have gone missing from home. Children speak with an independent person on their return to complete a return home interview to share any concerns they may have.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a variety of conversations with children to increase the children’s knowledge and help them understand the health implications of using substances, smoking, and vaping. However, this has had limited influence and is not yet effective. Children sometimes smoke in the home and are reluctant to engage with support services to address their substance misuse. Additionally, not enough is done by the manager to challenge agreements made by others for children to use vapes, resulting in conflicting boundaries.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Medication is stored securely and administered safely. Staff complete record sheets that are regularly reviewed by the manager. There is advice on children’s care plans regarding who to contact to assess a child’s welfare if they repeatedly refuse their medication. However, there is some prescribed medication for a child who has left the home that should have been returned to the pharmacy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers were not diligent in following up a significant concern raised about staff. The lack of thoroughness limited the quality of the investigation and appropriate action being taken for all involved. Furthermore, managers did not notify Ofsted about the incident, preventing the regulator from having oversight of how the incident was managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff are recruited safely and have a planned induction. Practice-related supervision sessions are regular and reflective. The children are discussed in every supervision session and their progress reflected on. Staff find their induction to be helpful and value the training and support that they receive in their roles. Inspection report for children’s home: 2575713 5 The manager understands the strengths and areas for development of the team and individual staff members. They use a checklist to ensure that all monitoring tasks are completed. Information from monitoring and auditing feeds into the manager’s biannual report, helping the manager to understand trends and areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has a set process for monitoring and reviewing children’s files and other important paperwork. Incident recording is reviewed promptly, and all other documentation is reviewed every two weeks. All documentation and recording by staff and managers at the home is written to the child, using child-friendly language and in a way that will support their understanding of their childhood. Inspection report for children’s home: 2575713 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires, and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that they fully investigate incidents, including speaking with all those involved to support staff learning and development. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 31 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies, or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified;

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 31 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2575713 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should seek to comply with health and safety legislation in such a way as to not impact on the homely, domestic feeling of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15 paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that arrangements are in place so that any unused medication is disposed of safely. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 35 paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to help children understand and work to change negative habits in key areas of health and well-being, such as the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco/nicotine. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 35 paragraph 7.18)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2575713 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Three Rivers Business Centre, Unit 11 Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP10 0BF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Joanne Henderson

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Inspector

Kirstie Sutherland, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2575713 9 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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